About Us

Garden Academy is a Christ-centered homeschool co-op partnering with parents to prepare students for post-high school life. We are located and conduct classes on the church campus of The Garden Greenville in Greenville, SC.

We thoroughly believe in the students of today and the potential they carry. We want to see that potential realized, to not be clouded by substandard education and culture wars.

We want to see students love to learn and become curious for more than just, “Is this on a test?”

We are deeply motivated to be a resource to parents, not a replacement for them. We want to partner with parents during these vulnerable years to train up students in practical and healthy ways so that they can be incredibly effective wherever God takes them after graduation.

Post High-School Motivation

The statistics are quite dismal regarding a student’s present readiness to transition out of high school into their next phase of life. Pre-pandemic statistics revealed that 57% of students graduating from high school admitted to feeling extreme anxiety about making the transition into their next phase of life. Researchers agreed that after the impact of Covid lock-downs, virtual classrooms and social limitations, there would be an estimated 10 point increase to these already debilitating numbers. If that estimate did in-fact come to fruition, then approximately 7 out of 10 current graduating students who graduate from high school are feeling unprepared, insecure and ill-equipped to take a confident step from high school into the real world.

Let’s be objective, an A in Calculus can only get a student so far. Even if a student chooses the college route and gets a full academic scholarship, it’s only proof that they’re equipped to take next steps into the academic world, not the real world. There’s more to life than academic intelligence. Having confidence to navigate the ins and outs of the real world contributes largely to emotional intelligence (EQ). And a high EQ gets you promoted, gets you invited, and gets you positioned. We are motivated to do for students what any healthy learning environment should be doing for them at this stage in their lives: equipping them with trusted tools to navigate life in a godly, healthy, and confident way.

Garden Academy Timeline

  • Like many of you, we watched our own kids and friends’ kids struggle academically and socially within certain educational environments. We saw what was happening in culture and were determined not to have our children’s education caught in the crossfire. In response, we decided to pilot a school with seven of our own children in 2021. We met in one of our church’s auditoriums and utilized online curriculum.

    While certain aspects of virtual learning can be helpful, it can’t fully substitute for in-person teaching. Learning needs dialogue. Students need to interact with an instructor and other students in the classroom. Students need to ask questions and receive feedback in real-time. They need a consistent connection that virtual or online learning simply can’t give in the same way. In-person learning isn’t old-school; it’s the very environment that we, as humans, have been wired to excel in. It’s a connection at every turn.

  • In the fall of 2022, Garden Academy was officially introduced. The existing church offices were restructured into in-person classrooms, allowing our students a more classic school experience in physical space. Since its inception, we have experienced an increase in both enrollment and program development. Currently, for the ‘23-’24 school year, we are offering instruction for 5th-10th grade.

  • In the ‘24-’25 school year we will be expanding to offer classes for 4th-11th grade. We have begun partnerships with local colleges to offer dual enrollment opportunities for our high schoolers. In addition, our Elementary School staff is undergoing Orton-Gillingham training to be certified in this curriculum.

Meet the Team

Garden Academy has two full time administrative roles, Director and the Communications & Systems Admin. The remaining staff of teachers are part-time men and women who carry a burden for the next generation and want to do their part to help them succeed. These individuals were all highlighted by the Lord and properly foster the culture of the Academy as a space of educating and equipping.


  • Director & Teacher

    Laura joined the Academy team in the ‘22-’23 school year. She has over 20 years experience in working with children in various different mediums. She teaches all levels of English, but has a love for American Literature. She has 4 children and is an active member of Garden Greenville.


  • Communications and Systems Admin & Teacher

    Tommy joined the Garden Academy team in the ‘23-’24 school year. He has a BS in Chemistry from Clemson University. He teaches Chemistry and Algebra 2. He and his wife, Bradi, are active members of The Garden Greenville.

Components of Garden Academy Seal

  • Heraldry started in the 11th/12th centuries when a full suited knight would be unrecognizable, both to friend and foe. The shield provided a broad flat surface that could be painted with colors and symbols, allowing knights and nobles to carry their identity into battle.

  • There are seven seeds that represent the original seven children that were a part of the pilot year of Garden Academy. These were the seeds that have grown us into what we now are today.

  • This tool was used by a shepherd to lead sheep. The crook represents both being a leader, as a shepherd, and being led, as a sheep. These are two sides of the discipleship coin. We are both sheep from the front and shepherds from behind.

  • The key represents unlocking, both future success and current freedom. It signifies opening doors to new opportunities that are otherwise locked as well as opening doors out of places that we might be stuck.

  • The branches represent the 3 dimensions in which we are called to live our lives (up, in, and out). The “up” represents the connection & communion with the Father, “in” with our community, discipling and being discipled, and lastly, “out”, advancing the kingdom of God in the world.

  • The ribbon holds the branches together. There are three strands that represent the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As we live our lives through the lens of the branches we must be held together by the Trinity.